Illegal mining cost Rs 149 cr in Sikar district: CAG report

Rajasthan mining department did not take stringent action against illegal mining in the state, resulting in illegal extraction of 80.34 lakh MT of masonry stone, costing Rs 149 crore alone in Sikar district, the CAG report said.
Illegal mining in Moda Pahar was rampant and continued unabatedly, the report said, adding, four committees were formed in connection with mining in the area one after another without any fruitful results.
The report also said the department did not take any action to curb illegal mining in Sikar from 2001 to 2011 and cancelled leases for not displaying the signboards etc, instead of cancelling the leases for illegal mining.

During the test check of records of Mining Engineer Sikar, it was noticed that two leases for the mineral marble were sanctioned in favour of Rakesh Mordiya, lease holder in Moda Pahar.
As per inspection conducted on March 21, 2012 by ME office, lease holder, Mordiya, excavated and dispatched the mineral marble over and above the authorised quantities. The report said that no action was taken against the lessee.
Neither did the government calculate the recoverable cost of mineral nor did it initiate action for raising demand for cost of mineral illegally excavated.

The recoverable cost of the mineral from the lessees (Mordiya) worked out to Rs 21.09 crore.

It was also mentioned in the report that there was no monitoring either by the Mining department or by the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) in the state to check compliance with the prescribed standard for eco-friendly mining.
The lessee is required to obtain 'consent to operate' from the RSPCB before commencing mining operations which prescribes stands for eco-friendly mining.